Entertainment systems for vehicles used in commercial passenger transport are frequently server-based. Specifically, a server stores content, e.g., media files, and provides the content via a network upon demand from client devices operated by users or passengers on the vehicle. Most often, the content is in the form of video and audio files, which are streamed to the client devices over the network. Accordingly, the server is central to operation of the entertainment system. For this reason, server-based systems in the in-flight entertainment field (IFE) are sometimes referred to as server-centric.
A disadvantage of server centric systems is that if the server becomes inaccessible the content stored on the server likewise becomes inaccessible for passengers or users of the client devices. Prior systems have addressed this disadvantage by providing alternative communication paths to the server. Hence, if there is a communication path failure, an alternate communication pathway still exists for accessing content on the server. Some systems provide multiple servers. Should one server become inaccessible, content can still be accessed via the other server. The more robust systems provide both multiple servers and redundant communication pathways.
Other types of IFE systems store content in client devices. In particular, IFE systems typically have client devices mounted at each seat for use by passengers. These systems are sometimes referred to in the IFE field as seat-centric. Seat-centric systems have an advantage in that they are not reliant on a server. However, there are disadvantages. For instance, client devices do not have the capability of a server and have far less storage capacity for content. In addition, there is a necessity for managing the content. Content is typically updated periodically as newer content becomes available. In vehicles having hundreds of seats, it is time consuming to load new content on each new client device.
Disclosed herein is a system that provides advantages of both server- and seat-centric systems.